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Thursday, December 1, 2016

Random snapshots taken at the Department of Physics these days...love this place!

1) Perci & the Ciclofficina
Roberto Perciballi used to work as the priceless "factotum" of the Physics Department. He was in charge of essentially any repair, construction, moving, removal in the institute. Besides being a celebrity among students, he was also so on the stage as the frontman and singer of Bloody Riot, one of the first italian hardcore-punk bands. "Perci" suddenly died last March, leaving behind two daughters and the sorrow of many fans and friends.

The members of the student association "Ciclofficina" (named after Perciballi earlier this year) paid homage to him with this emotional and spectacular painting, showing a younger (and possibly punker) Roberto Perciballi. The painting features the end of a hallway (below on the right) that is offered by the Department to the student association. The poles have been installed after the recent earthquake in Central Italy which, although mild in Rome, also left some damage to the building.

2) Fidel & Majorana
These days, many all over the world are paying homage to the controversial figure of Fidel Castro. In fact, the whole Sapienza campus is upholstered with the poster below. However, how many can show off Fidel right next to Ettore Majorana's statue in front of the classroom named after him (below on the right)?

3) < Yes | No > & the Italian Constitutional Referendum
Tomorrow, Full Professors of Theoretical Physics Giovanni Bachelet and Giorgio Parisi will lead a discussion on the hottest topic in Italian politics nowadays: the Constitutional Referendum to be held next Sunday.

Prof. Bachelet is a former member of the Parliament and supporter of the constitutional reform. Prof. Parisi is the founder of the recent initiative "Salviamo la Ricerca" (see his recent letter to the Nature) and will defend his criticisms on the reform. I am looking forward to seeing how the physics community of our Department will react and will definitely attend the debate.